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Israel Iran latest news: US calls for calm after officials say Israel hit Iran - BBC News Israel Iran latest news: US calls for calm after officials say Israel hit Iran - BBC News
(32 minutes later)
Famed for its palaces, tiled mosques and minarets, Isfahan - where blasts were heard overnight - is also a major centre for military industry.
Iran's third-biggest city, nicknamed "Nesf-e-Jahaan" which translates to "half the world", is located in the centre of the country near the Zagros mountains. The commander of the air defence system in Isfahan - where the reported strike is said to have hit - has told state-controlled Iranian TV that an attack was thwarted earlier today.
The city and its region are home to drone and ballistic missile factories. "The sound that was heard this morning in Isfahan was not an explosion," says Siavash Mihandoost. "It was the firing of the rockets of the powerful air defence systems at an object."
Relatively nearby is the Natanz nuclear facility, the most important centre for Iran's nuclear enrichment programme. The incident has caused no damage, Mihandoost claims.
With the name Isfahan tied to Iran's nuclear facilities, the symbolism of an attack there will not have gone unnoticed. Iran has downplayed the reports of a missile strike on the country, but Mihandoost says the air defence system is "prepared and ready" to confront anyone "that threatens the land or air" of Iran.
If this was an Israeli attack it seems that the government of Benjamin Netanyahu was sending a message to Iran that it has the capability to strike those sensitive targets in the province whilst refraining from actually doing so at this stage.
Read our full piece about Isfahan, the Iranian city where the explosions were heard
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